Chapter 306
Making a Choice (取捨選択 Shushasentaku) is the 306th chapter of manga, Baby Steps. Characters in Order of Appearance *Eiichiro Maruo *Shin Asano *Shin Asano Summary As the match continues, Asano remembers how stubbornly continues his training and refuses the invitation as a coach to a national team. Synopsis Ei-chan thinks that Asano has hit a spin serve to the deuce court for the first time and he suddenly shifted his offensive strategy to serve and volley. Seeing that he (Ei-chan) has a hard time getting to the net... Conversely, if it becomes Asano trying to compete at the net, what can Ei-chan consider... In order to widen the open court when he came forward, a spin serve that escapes wide... But Asano has always exceeded Ei-chan's imagination, Ei-chan thinks he might have to sketch the opposite of the opposite of his prediction. He stops that line of thought, concluding that his hesitating the way he is, is itself Asano's target. In an important time, he has to believe in the strategy he developed with his own data. Asano starts his serve. Based on the toss, Ei-chan concludes it will be a spin or flat. He bets its course will be the wide that he's decided to prepare for. Ei-chan's prediction is correct and Asano comes to the net. Ei-chan thinks that a spin serve bounces high, then from a high position...he'll hit it strongly to the feet. Asano's return hits the net. 15-15. Ei-chan's elated by his success but notes that it was risky. Even though Asano hadn't been able to react completely, with just his usual skill he might have been able to counterattack. His net volley is quite good; therefore, it would be better for Ei-chan to challenge him with a return that won't give him time to get to the net. Asano, on the other hand, concludes that the course of his serve had been read and wonders if it was the notes that Ei-chan has been taking that allowed him to read the course. Insight and control...in other words, a fighting style that uses data and technique. He decides he has to make an appropriate counter to that. Ei-chan thinks he'd been able to get a point off Asano's spin serve, normally that would mean Asano would avoid the same spin on his next serve. Up to now, the course of Asano's serves have frequently been to the center; however, if Asano is making an aggressive shift, he might go for an ace with a wide. Asano starts his serve. Based on the toss, Ei-chan concludes it will be a flat or a slice. He bets on a fast slice or flat that's wide. But Asano's serve is a slice to the center. Ei-chan's able to return it, but Asano goes to the net and take the point. 30-15. Ei-chan's reaction confirms Asano's guess that Ei-chan is guarding against the wide that Asano hasn't hit much of today. Ei-chan thinks that even though Asano should know they're reading each other, he was able to serve his usual. Reading each other is a contest of strategy and Ei-chan wonders whether Asano with his long career is one step better than he is. He decides to challenge Asano again. In serves to the ad court, the most frequent one up to now is a slice wide. But if Asano is going to use serve and volley again, a spin wide that will drive Ei-chan out of the court would be an advantage. Ei-chan wonders if Asano is thinking about how Ei-chan reads his serve. But he thinks he can't lose with strategy that used data and he has to believe in fighting using data. Here he'll go with the high probability and anticipate a slice wide that levels off, rather than a spin. When Asano starts his serve, the toss appears to be a flat or spin, but as Ei-chan expected, it's a slice wide. Ei-chan makes it in time and his return is a winner. 30-30. The onlookers are amazed that a high schooler held down a pro with a strongly hit return. Asano, however, disagrees. He thinks he wasn't beaten by a strong hit. This time he'd lost in reading each other. His strategy was beaten by a high schooler's strategy. Asano remembers his past. When he was 30 and ranked 25th in Japan, the pattern of losing in power to young opponents, who are also countering technique, had started to increase. Then when he was 33 and ranked 40th in Japan, he focused on physical training and began competing with a core of power shots, but his days of not winning at all continued. That time he was invited to coach the Japanese team. He refused it because he wants to prove the Japanese, who have a physical disadvantage when compared with overseas players, can oppose them. He wants to prove there are strategies that use technique to compensate for speed and power. When he was 35 and ranked 80th in Japan, his sponsorship contract was terminated. Asano continued training, knowing what he's doing is reckless but believing that it being reckless is no reason not to do it. He could only believe in that and continue moving forward. End of flashback. Asano thinks that's why he can't fade here. Ei-chan expects Asano's next serve to be a slice since Asano ought to want to take a reliable strategy with the score at 30-30. But just Asano's knowing that Ei-chan is reading his serve makes the course hard to read. So for the course, Ei-chan decides not to gamble and distributes his awareness to 60% center, 30% wide, and 10% body. Asano makes a rare error with his first serve, but as Ei-chan expected Asano had been aiming for a slice to the center. Ei-chan wants to focus all in the second serve, but since he lacks data on Asano (probably what he prefers to use on second serves), Ei-chan doesn't know what the next one will be. He thinks it's best to prepare to be able to deal with it, like he had with the first serve, no matter where it goes. Asano starts his serve and Ei-chan is surprised that the toss is for a flat. He thinks a normal second serve isn't a flat, so he suspects a slice or a spin. But the serve turns out to be a flat wide. Ei-chan's just able to return it and he wonders if Asano's going to use serve and volley again. Asano thinks his strategy can't be surpassed with data. Navigation Category:Volume 32 Category:All-Japan Championship Preliminaries Arc